The Minister of Works, Senator Nweze David Umahi, has directed contractors handling the 107km Enugu-Onitsha road dualisation project to enhance their efforts to align with the Renewed Hope administration’s policies on project speed and quality.
A statement issued by the Special Adviser (Media) to the minister, Barrister Orji Uchenna Orji, in Abuja on Friday, quoted Umahi as giving the directive at a meeting held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to the statement, the meeting involved MTN, the company funding the project under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, representatives from the Enugu State Government, and the two contractors handling the project, RCC Ltd and Nigercat Ltd.
Umahi expressed disappointment with the slow progress and the condition of the road under construction, and criticised the contractors for their lack of commitment and insensitivity to the hardships faced by road users.
He pointed out that the road had become one of the worst in the country due to poor diversion points and inadequate maintenance by the contractors.
The minister emphasised that Nigerians should not endure suffering while roads were being built, stressing that “this is not acceptable under any circumstances.”
He also acknowledged the Enugu state government’s initiative to fund the construction of a 20-km section from Abakpa Junction to Akama (9th Mile) and a flyover bridge at Abakpa Junction, which would be reimbursed through MTN’s Tax Credit.
He urged MTN to consider engaging another contractor if the current ones failed to meet their obligations, suggesting that dividing the labour might expedite the completion of the project.
The minister warned that contractors who delay their work would not be accommodated by the federal government, as phased handovers were no longer accepted.
He insisted that contractors must maintain all roads they handle until fully completed and handed over to the government.
Umahi stressed that the administration’s policy “now excludes the VOP (Variation of Prices)” and that contract reviews “will be based on prevailing rates,” noting that the issues with the Enugu-Onitsha road project were not due to funding, but to the execution by the contractors.